If there is anything I love doing, it’s saving money at the grocery store. Grocery costs
are up 12% since last year according to healthline.com This means the $500 you used
to pay for groceries is now $560! Yikes!! One other “fun” fact from the USDA website is
that as of January 2023, the cost of groceries for a family of four ranged from $1,025 (
Thrifty plan) to $1,675 (Liberal food plan). So how can we save a little money on
groceries?
Shop the sales. This allows you to create a meal based on what’s on sale and what you
may have at home. Did you know that most items go on sale every 6-8 weeks, so get in
the rhythm to buy enough when it is on sale to last you 6-8 weeks.(Word to the wise,
sale is when the item is 30-50% off regular price ). Buy what you actually eat and don’t
buy it because it is on sale.
Create a meal plan. This is key because the grocery list is created from the ingredients
you need to make these meals. Having this as your foundation, makes life a lot easier,
healthier and cheaper if you adhere to it. Factor in ALL meals to include snacks
especially if you have children! Summer vacation can kill a grocery budget. Take into
consideration your calendar, know which days are going to require quicker meals and
have a few on hand ( less than 30 minutes). I like allrecipes.com for 30 minute meal
ideas. Once you have a couple of weeks of meal plans you can keep them on a rotation
so you don’t have to start over each time. (Favorite strategy of mine!)
Have a budget so you can get control of your spending. To start with, take your last 3
grocery bills and round up to the nearest dollar to get a realistic idea of what you’ve
been spending. The hope is that moving forward there will be money left over to apply
to savings or next week’s grocery fund.
Things to be mindful when it comes to grocery shopping:
Getting your grocery life organized will be beneficial in the long run. The fifteen minutes
or so it takes to shop the sales, create the meal plan and the list will be well worth it.
Once you have the framework, it gets even faster and easier.
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